THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Jane Perlez
At the gallery opening of China’s hottest-selling artist,
Zeng Fanzhi, in Manhattan a year ago, Chinese billionaires mingled with the upper crust of New York’s art world. Here at home, an even larger banquet for 500 guests, including the granddaughter of Mao Zedong, celebrated Mr. Zeng’s 25-year painting career, at the September opening of the first retrospective in his own country. Chinese artists roared onto the international art scene about 10 years ago, but few have exhibited the staying power of
Mr. Zeng, and none have fetched $23.3 million for a painting at auction, the price paid for his version of “The Last Supper” in 2013. [
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| Zeng Fanzhi in front of one of his paintings in his studio in Beijing. |
How has he managed to stay at the top? “You might say I am very cunning,” he said, a small cheeky smile across his broad, smooth face. “I only sell my paintings to those who really like them. Then those people will help me promote my works.” It is this approach of cultivating collectors who cherish his art, combined with indisputable painting skills, that has propelled him to the fore, said Philip Tinari, the director of the Ullens Center.
